We are absolutely thrilled to welcome back the incredibly talented Jemima Flendt of Tied by a Ribbon. Jemima’s work is an endless source of inspiration—her eye for design, her thoughtful teaching approach, and her passion for quilting make her an invaluable part of this creative community. A quick scroll through her Instagram is like a mini masterclass, filled with engaging, informative content that sparks creativity and confidence.
Today, we celebrate the release of her brand-new curated thread set, City Streets Sampler! This vibrant collection of 10 small spools of 50wt thread marks her first since Quilt Big, and it perfectly captures her signature flair for color and pattern pairing. The set coordinates with the 2025 Love, Patchwork & Quilting Magazine BOM (Issue 147), and we cannot wait to see what makers create with it.
Whether you’re stitching along with the BOM or using the set to fuel your own colorful projects, we know this collection will bring joy to every stitch. Join us as we dive into this exciting new release, celebrate Jemima’s creative journey, and get inspired by the City Streets Sampler!
Hi Jemima! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat with us! It’s been a few years since we’ve had the opportunity to collaborate on a thread set and we’re so excited to dive in! To kick things off, can you take us back to the beginning? What first sparked your love of quilting, and how did Tied by a Ribbon come to be?
My professional Background as a High School Home Economics Teacher has driven my passion for teaching and sharing all things Quilts and sewing. I was teaching and starting out my business on the side, things got to a point where I had to decide whether to go back to full-time teaching or take the big leap and follow my dream of building my business. Turning my hobby into a business has taken a lot of dedication and late nights but it’s been so worth it. Nothing lights me up, more than teaching quilters and starting people out on their quilting adventures. Watching and helping as people skills grow in front of you is very inspiring and rewarding to be part of.
What drew you to modern quilting in particular, and how would you define your personal quilting aesthetic?
I love architecture, buildings and sculptures really inspire my work. I look at things and am always breaking them down in my mind for how they could be created. I love looking at Street Art– especially how this can be re-imagined into my quilting designs. Geometric patterns and designs always catch my eye.
What have been some of the most pivotal moments in your quilting career so far?
I would say that writing my 3 books have been real labors of love that I found gave me alot of credibility in the Industry. They have been stepping stones that I have been able to use to build the foundations for my work.
Another moment would be having had the opportunity to teach at QuiltCon this year in Pheonix. This had been on my teaching Bucket list for many years and being invited to be part of the Faculty team was just as amazing as the days I was able to spend with the students at this event.
Your City Streets Sampler quilt is such a stunning project! What inspired the design, and what story does it tell?
This design was inspired by my trip to London in 2023. I loved walking the city streets and around every corner there was more beauty to be found in its architecture and buildings. The little narrow laneways filled with cobblestones or the window featured with patterns inspired the design for this quilt. With all the blocks from the Sampler it is a great way to build and grow your love for quilting with all the blocks coming together in the repeated pattern to create this layout.
Can you share a little about the process of developing a Block of the Month program for Love Patchwork & Quilting Magazine?
For this design I was given a Brief from the Editor which included what style they were looking for and the fabrics they were interested in using but they included that they were looking for this to really be inspired by what I love to create and how I like to design so that I could inject all my signature design elements into it. Because it is a BOM there was also that element where the blocks needed to be delivered in this month by month Sampler.
Why did you feel it was important to have an accompanying thread set for this quilt?
I know how when we start out in quilting it can be very overwhelming to walk into a store and not be familiar with all the things you need to make a quilt or what actually works well in your quilting. I knew that putting together this thread set, anyone working on the sampler would have high quality threads in gorgeous saturated colours to compliment the chosen fabrics and also provide the neutral thread colour that I love to use in #2405.
How did you select the colors in the set, and how do they enhance the overall aesthetic of the City Streets Sampler?
Each of the thread colours have been paired up to the Tula Pink Solids and True Color fabrics that I have used so that your threads match perfectly to your fabric colours as well as providing the beautiful Oyster pink #2405 which I use so much for piercing. It is a great thread colour that works so well when you have both light and dark fabrics next to each other so that seam lines are less obvious.
What role does thread play in your quilt designs? Do you think quilters often overlook the impact of thread choice?
I always choose a neutral thread to make sure that when I am sewing lighter fabrics thay it still works across the different colurs. When I choose darker fabrics using a colour thread that closely matches just makes the sewn lines less obvious and helps keeps that consistency between blocks.
Aurifil 50wt is a favorite among many quilters—what are your go-to tips for working with this weight of thread?
My biggest tip is to always match the Bobbin thread to the Top thread. Often people love to use a simple white or light grey thread in their bobbin (or even prewound polyester Bobbins) but when you use the same colour in both the top and bobbin, your stitches just have so much more of a professional look to them and the stitches are less noticeable.
How do you hope to see makers use this curated set beyond the City Streets Sampler quilt?
I love that this set not only offers the chance to piece the blocks but you can also use all the beautiful colours to add the machine quilting elements to your finished quilt top.
Where can quilters find you this year? Do you have any exciting events, workshops, or collaborations coming up?
This year I have a full travel Schedule with being at Adelaide Modern Quilt Festival, I am teaching at Kimz Sewing and Patchwork in Brisbane, Fabric Garden in Sydney, the Darwin Patchwork and Quilters Guild in the Northern Territory along with Handcrafeter’s House and Calico and Ivy here in Western Australia.
Unfortunately, the collabs coming up are still under wraps – so stay tuned.
From both a professional and a creative standpoint, what are you most looking forward to in the coming months?
After having had the opportunity to travel after QuiltCon to another few US cities, I am actually excited to sit down with my sketch book and work on new designs from all the inspiration I have found on my travels.
Lastly, what advice would you give to aspiring quilters looking to develop their own unique style in this industry?
Do what you love and you will find your voice and aesthetic. It’s very easy to be influenced when you are starting out to listen to all the voices telling you to design this style of pattern or you should add this to your range – but if it doesn’t light you up then stay true to what you love to create and put out into the world.
